A Lost Christmas Eve
by SaberSeven
Summary: Ms. Young hates the holidays because she is usually alone. She hopes Ben can spend Christmas Eve with her.
1. ALCE Part 1

A Lost Christmas Eve

Ms. Young in her bed had suddenly realized she had awoken. She turned over and moved her long flowing hair out of her face. She yawned as she began to stagger out of bed. It was cold in the house so she quickly threw on a Seahawks sweat shirt, and placed her feet in her slippers. She looked out her bedroom window, and saw a dark gloomy day with many clouds in the sky. She smiled though because she just realized it was Christmas Eve, and she was praying Ben could make it tonight for dinner. Ms. Young left her room for the kitchen where she started up the coffee maker.

She was in a good mood this morning for two reasons. First off, her mother was leaving town this afternoon for Las Vegas. Her mother had celebrated Christmas there for years ever since her parents had divorced. Her mother had become a blackjack fanatic to fill the time, and had become a serious player at many professional tournaments. Ms. Young was an excellent card player herself taught by her mother over the years. It was really the only thing they had in common. It's also part of the reason Ms. Young loved games, risking taking, and she hated to lose.

Ms. Young didn't have much contact with her father during her teens, or even now. He lived clear across the country in Washington D.C., and had little time for her. During high school, and even a year during college she found herself alone in a casino hotel room for Christmas Eve. She hated the holidays because they always made her feel lonely, and even unloved.

The other reason she was cheerful was that she was waiting for Ben to tell her whether, or not he was coming over for Christmas Eve. His parents had suddenly considered changing their plans. They decided to travel to San Francisco to see his uncle's brand new baby girl. Ben was going to try to convince his parents he had to stay in Seattle, and work at part time job he had recently gotten. The job was mostly a cover to be with Ms. Young, but there was no guarantee his parents would let him stay behind. She thought to herself how wonderful it would be if the two of them could be together tonight. She didn't want to consider the possibility of them not being together tonight.

"Mother," she yelled as she pulled out the egg carton from the refrigerator. She walked out of the kitchen, and yelled again, "Mother? Are you up?"

"Yes Monica you don't have to yell anymore," her mother replied from her bedroom down the hall.

Ms. Young was in such a good mood she offered to cook breakfast. "I'm cooking; do you want any eggs, and bacon?" She headed back towards the kitchen.

Her mother came down the hall at that moment. "How about French toast," she asked happily.

Ms. Young rolled her eyes as she pulled out several eggs and placed them on the counter. She whispered to herself in a sarcastic voice, "Oh yeah I'll just whip that up for you." Her mother entered the kitchen waiting for an answer.

"Mom I'm kind of under the gun this morning. If you want French toast you'll have to make it." She reached into a cupboard, pulled out two coffee mugs, and placed them next to the brewer.

"All right, over easy please." Her mother left the kitchen, but soon returned with the newspaper. Ms Young pulled out a frying pan and got the gas range fired up. She poured coffee into the two mugs, and handed one to her mother. "Thank you," her mother took a sip and then placed the mug on the kitchen table. "You're on break; what are all these things you have to do?"

"Well I thought I'd make ravioli tonight."

"Just for yourself," her mother questioned.

"That's right. Don't worry I'll save you some." She cracked an egg on the pan and poured it into the frying pan.

"No plans?" She turned the page of the newspaper.

"You know I never have plans on Christmas. My mother abandons me, and my father is to busy for me." She took a quick sip of coffee as she flipped the eggs in the pan.

"Oh are we having another pity party honey?" She flipped another page of the newspaper as she quietly laughed at her own comment.

Ms. Young sighed while she pushed the bacon around with a fork. She almost wanted to laugh at that comment too. "You brought it up mother."

"You know you're more than welcome to spend Christmas with me."

Ms. Young rolled her eyes, and faced her mother. "Why would I want to spend the holiday in a smoke filled casino getting hit on by a bunch of drunks? Don't you find that a bit depressing?"

"Not when I come home with 7,500 dollars." Ms. Young just shook her head in mild disgust. "I don't understand why you can't find a man? Aren't there male teachers at your school?"

"Here we go," Ms. Young replied in a loud voice.

"Well I'm sorry honey; you don't want to live with me forever?"

"We both know why I'm here, and by some miracle I'll be out of here by summer." She pulled out a plate and began to place the eggs and bacon on it.

"What about sex?" She turned her head, and lowered the newspaper.

"What?" Ms. Young's eyes and mouth both went wide.

"Well Monica it has to have been awhile, and it's a fact…"

Ms. Young cut her off, "…ok that's it." With the plate of food in her hand she turned to face her mother. "I don't need a man to complete my life, and I'm definitely not talking to my pain in the ass mother about my sex life!"

"Don't you mean lack of?"

She slammed the plate on the table, "Here, enjoy your damn breakfast." She quickly turned and left the kitchen.

"Are you going to do the dishes," her mother questioned.

Ms. Young let out a loud groan as she slammed her bedroom door.

Her mother inspected a piece of bacon, "Hmm, overcooked."

Ms. Young sat at her desk and began looking in a mirror. "Clam down; oh God you've have to get an apartment soon," she spoke to herself. Her cell phone suddenly rang, "Ben," she said, and stumbled out her chair to find it. She frantically searched for it in her bed, and on the forth ring she hit the talk button. "Ben, Ben is that you?"

"Yeah, hi Monica."

She smiled wide as she pushed her hair out her face. "Oh it's so good to hear your voice babe. So, so, are we on for tonight. Please tell me we are?"

"I have some good news, and some bad news," Ben explained in a sad voice.

Ms. Young's smile was quickly replaced with a worried look. "Ok what, just give me the bad news now," she commanded as she began pacing out frustration.

"No I'm kidding there's no bad news." Ben laughed as he sat on his bed.

Her smile returned as quickly as it had disappeared. "We're on? You're coming over tonight," she excitedly asked.

"I can hardly wait to come over."

"Ah," she exhaled loudly and fell back on her bed. "Ben Conner if I didn't love you so much I'd kill you."

Ben laughed and slapped his knee, "I'm sorry. So what's the plan?"

"I was hoping you weren't counting on the traditional Christmas goose and stuffing," she frowned as she asked him.

"No, no, as long as I'm with you I don't care."

"Ok I was planning on making ravioli," she stated.

"Make? You mean from scratch," he questioned in a surprised voice.

"Oh yeah; you'll love it."

"I didn't know you could cook? Isn't this a lot of trouble?"

"There are a few dishes where I am an expert." She rolled over and rested on her stomach. "I use a type of mushroom that's supposed to be an aphrodisiac."

Ben was confused, "Aphro what?"

She laughed, and in a low, and passionate voice, "Mr. Conner you need to work on your vocabulary. Your English teacher would be somewhat embarrassed that you don't know that word."

A little self-conscious he laughed, "I'll get on it."

She spoke up, "Oh, yeah it is a lot of trouble, but you're worth it. This will be our first dinner not from a drive-thur, and eaten in my car. This is huge! So is six tonight all right? You're going to dress up right?"

"Uh, yeah, ok," he immediately started rummaging through his closet.

"Ok then. I'll see you at six. I've missed you."

He stopped searching, "I've missed you too...goodbye."

Ms. Young screamed in joy and ran to open her door. Her huge smile turned to a blank expression when she saw her mother standing outside the door. "Yes mother," she asked in an annoyed monotone voice."

"You'll drop me off at the airport at two this afternoon?"

"Yes mother," she responded in the same voice.

"What was that scream for?"

She looked at her mother with an alarmed expression. "Uh, nothing…I mean there's was a spider. It's dead now."

"Ok," her mother answered a bit puzzled. She walked down the hall to her bedroom.


	2. ALCE Part 2

A Lost Christmas Eve Part 2

Ben hung up and thought about what he had just said. He repeated it, "I've missed you." He more than missed her though he thought he might be in love. It hadn't been easy getting back together either. He pulling his stunt at the play with Sue, and Monica sleeping with his brother had seriously damaged any trust they had. It was only when Ms. Young said he would be receiving and 'F' in her class, and he threatened to tell the principle about their relationship that things changed. As they planned to destroy each other they both realized that all they wanted was - each other. In the beginning they argued endlessly about who had hurt the other more. Finally one day as they screamed at each other, Ms. Young was broken down, and crying. She asked Ben to remember the night behind the tent, and how this all began. They were then able to forgive each other. It had not been an easy reconciliation, as Ben still doesn't talk to his brother, and the couple still hasn't made love since Ben ended their relationship at the home coming dance. They both thought to themselves that they might turn a corner tonight, and might finally be able to move on. He didn't know how or if this relationship would work, but he didn't care about the future, just the here and now.

He refocused and continued searching through his closet. "C'mon man there's got be something here, no, no..."

"…Ben," his mother knocked on his door as she said his name.

He walked over to the door, and opened it, "Yeah?"

"I wanted to go over a few chores that need to be done before your father and I get back."

"Oh man, now? I was just…"

She interrupted, "…lets just get it over with, ok?" She turned and headed down the hallway. He put his head down and followed her. She led him through the house while pointing out things. "Ok, the kitchen floor. It needs to be washed and waxed." Ben sighed. She continued explaining, "The carpet; the whole house needs to be vacuumed." He exhaled in disgust. "Oh and the back yard lawn needs to be mowed."

Ben laughed, "It's going to rain."

His mother looked at him, and then out the sliding glass door. It was gloomy out there, and was definitely going to rain. She turned to face him, "Yeah I think your right. You better get on it," she smiled as she walked away.

"Ha, ha, funny." He walked out into the yard. It started to lightly sprinkle about halfway through the job. He suddenly realized his phone was ringing. He opened it and studied the display. "Dino," he hit the talk button as he shut the mower off. "Hey what's going on dude?"

"Hey, not much. I got your message," Dino replied.

"Listen, can you do me a massive favor," his eye's widened as he asked.

"Massive? I don't know; what do need?"

"When my parents call your dad's place later tonight, can you tell them I'm in the bathroom, and call my cell?" He winced when he finished.

Dino laughed, "HA! What's up?"

With a huge grin Ben answered, "Ms. Young is making me dinner tonight."

"Really," Dino asked in a slightly sad voice.

"What? What's wrong?"

"No, nothing, that sounds, well hot. I'm happy for you dude, and yes I'll cover your ass.

"Thanks. Is there something wrong," Ben inquired.

Dino didn't answer right away. "It's this crap between my mom and dad you know. Things just aren't the same. We're going to open a few presents at my mom's for my bother. Then it's me and my dad for dinner at his place. It's kind of depressing really."

"I'm sorry man; wish I could help."

"Me too. Don't worry I'll make it. You enjoy yourself tonight."

"Oh I will." Ben raised his hand as the light sprinkle had become a light rain. "Listen dude? Do know what aphrodisiac means?"

Dino thought to himself for a second. "No, you know my Spanish is terrible."

"Spanish, is that Spanish?"

"You're totally asking the wrong guy," Dino stated.

"Ok, thanks for everything. Bye." Ben turned the mower back on, and continued the job.

Ms. Young quickly pulled into a parking slot of her favorite gourmet food store. She loved this store even if it was a bit pricy. She hadn't been in this good a mood in a very long time, and it showed with her beaming appearance. She took a deep breath of the cold air as she walked from the car to the entrance. As she entered the store she could feel the warm rush of the heated air surround her, while it whipped her ponytail around her face. Instantly she could sense the different smells of the store; breads, spices, and others. She stopped and looked at the numerous aisles of goods, the holiday decorations, the Christmas music playing throughout the store. She took a moment to take it all in, and she thought it was perfectly beautiful. Wow, she thought, love is so powerful. Her mother couldn't even ruin this high.

Ben was finishing the kitchen floor when his phone rang. "Jonathan," he said as he hit the talk button. "Hey what's going on?"

Jonathan was sitting in his room at his computer checking his email. "Oh not much. I thought I would see what you were up to tonight. Oh, Debra and her mom agreed to come to dinner with my parents," Jonathan happily declared.

Ben stood up off the floor while laughing. "Oh my God; no way? Are you nervous?"

Jonathan thought to himself for a second, "Yes."

"Yeah, Deb's mom is kind of out there?"

"Uh, yeah that's how I would put it. She's always bringing up weird subjects, and I never know what to say. I was thinking though she should get along with my parents pretty well."

"Yeah they're a little different too. Hey Jonathan do you know what Aphrodisiac means?"

"Uh, yeah, I think it's some kind of sex enhancer. Why?"

Ben's eyes went wide when he heard that. Damn Monica is unbelievable he thought. "Oh no reason; I'm just working on vocab."

"So I never heard what you were doing tonight."

"Have you talked to Dino," Ben asked.

"No. Why?"

"All right I'll tell you; but please be quiet about it."

"Does Dino already know? Why am I always the last to know," Jonathan wined.

"You're not," Ben replied in an annoyed voice. "I just talked to him a couple of hours ago, so it came up." Ben smiled to himself, "Ms. Young is going to cook dinner for me tonight."

Jonathan grinned at that. "No way? I wonder if Debra would do that for me? That's awesome! So your parents decided to let you stay home?"

"Yeah, I was kind of surprised that they went for it. Of course when they got the ticket prices from the airline, it kind of convinced my dad."

"Expensive huh," Jonathan asked.

"Are you kidding?"

"So what did you get her?"

Ben was confused. "Get, what do you mean?"

"A present of some kind? Aren't you going to exchange gifts or something?"

Ben slapped himself, "Oh crap your right. What the hell was I thinking; I wasn't thinking. Dude I have absolutely nothing for her!"

"Well that's ok. She didn't say you would be exchanging gifts." He continued in an unconfident voice, "So your…probably ok. I mean I would be worried…talk about embarrassing…"

Annoyed Ben interrupted, "…oh shit I have to get her something."

"Sorry. Forget I brought it up."

"Dude I've gotta go. I've got to find her something quick. Bye."

Ms. Young was basically finished picking up everything she needed for tonight. She decided to look over the store's large wine selection. She picked out a nice red and placed it in the basket. She then thought Ben probably isn't much of a wine drinker. She knew he didn't object to drinking at parties so she picked up some wine coolers for him. She moved the shopping basket up to the cash register. She said hello to the clerk, and smiled as she flipped through a tabloid magazine laughing at the ridiculous articles.

"Excuse me?" A woman in line behind Ms. Young was looking at her.

"Ms. Young looked up. "I'm sorry were you talking to me?"

"Yes I was. I know you," the woman stated as she walked up to her.

Ms. Young's smile was replaced with a slight look of worry. "No I don't think so," she replied while placing the magazine back.

"Yes, yes you are a teacher in one my son's classes."

Ms. Young tried to stay calm. Maybe this woman had mistaken her for someone else. It's true the school was less than three miles away so maybe she was correct. "Ok well who is your son?" She kept saying to herself please don't be Ben's mother; please don't be Ben's mother. That's all she would be thinking about each time Ben looked at her tonight – his mother.

"Dino Whitman. Hi I'm Annie," she stretched her hand out to shake Ms. Young's hand.

Ms. Young closed her eyes in relief for just a second. Jesus that was close she thought. The chance of running into Dino's mother was incredulous as it was. She put her hand out, and shook Annie's hand. "Monica Young. Nice to meet you Annie. Dino, yes I know your son."

"What subject do you teach?"

"English."

"Oh I'm so sorry," Annie winced, and wined.

Ms. Young was confused, but smiled, "Excuse me?"

Annie started placing items on the counter. "That's not one of Dino's strong subjects."

Ms. Young laughed, "Yes well I have several students, and I don't have their grades memorized. However I do know Dino needs to work on his papers more."

Annie sighed as she continued placing grocery items on the counter. "Ah, teenage boys, never enough time for school. Just time for young girls and sex," she laughed after she said it.

Ms. Young's face went blank at that statement. She responded in a monotone voice, "Yes I guess your right." She started thinking about Ben being with Sue at the dance.

"$73.50 ma'am," the male clerk stated in Ms. Young's direction.

She quickly turned her head towards him with an intense stare, and in a firm voice, "Doesn't anyone use Miss. anymore?"

The clerk actually felt weak in her ice cold stare. "Uh, sorry, Miss. $73.50 for everything." Ms. Young promptly pulled out her checkbook from her purse, and began writing out a check.

Annie thought that exchange was a bit odd, but ignored it. "So any plans for the holiday?"

Ms. Young continued writing her check. "Uh yes, I'm making dinner," she hesitated for a moment, "…for my boyfriend." She looked up feeling somewhat guilty, but smiled to cover it.

"Oh that sounds nice, romantic."

Ms. Young handed the clerk the check. "How about you; family get together," she asked. Annie hesitated, and cringed at that question. Ms. Young noticed this, "I'm sorry did I say…"

"…no, no. My husband and I are separated right now."

"Oh I'm sorry, that must be tough, especially now."

Annie looked down, "Yes, it is."

They both felt uncomfortable now. "Ok well I better get going. It was nice meeting you Annie." Ms. Young smiled as she headed for the shopping basket.

"Yes nice meeting you Monica. I'll tell Dino I ran into you."

She whispered to herself, "Please don't," as she continued pushing the basket out of the store.


	3. ALCE Part 3

A Lost Christmas Eve Part 3

Ben rode his bike down to 'B' Street which had multiple shopping venues. While it was still gloomy out with dark clouds it had stopped raining. Ben could sense that it was quickly getting colder, as he watched the vapor escape as he exhaled. He didn't care though he had to get Ms. Young a gift.

He quickly locked up his bike, and began looking through numerous window displays. He didn't have much time, and he didn't have much money. $75 wasn't bad normally, but Ms. Young was a woman, and she was sophisticated. He didn't want to come off as some dumb ass kid giving her some kind of puppy love gift. As he thought about it he realized again how serious things had gotten. It made him feel good, but it scared him as well. How long could they hide this? Could they really keep this secret till he was 18? Would he want to be with her in a year? He had already badly miscalculated at the home coming dance. He sighed thinking how complicated it had become.

Ben spotted a rare books store, and walked up to the window. He had walked by it a million times, but never thought twice about it. "Damn it's cold. What the hell," he said to himself as he entered the store. He had no idea what he'd find, but he was getting desperate now. It looked like a typical bookstore with numerous aisles full of books. There were a few patrons inspecting the store's selection. Ben rubbed his freezing hands together and exhaled on them trying to heat them up. "What am I looking for," he questioned as he began walking through the aisles. "What," he continued thinking? "Poems, maybe? Where, where…"

"Hello can I help you," asked a woman's voice.

Ben turned in the direction of the voice. There was a young woman standing in a Navy blue business suit. "Whoa," he whispered. She was beautiful, long wavy blond hair, blue eyed, and of slender build. Ben was always very nervous around girls he was attracted to. "Uh…, yeah," he walked towards her, "I'm looking for a book of poems. I'm looking for a Christmas gift."

She stuck her hand out, "I'm Rachel."

Ben timidly shook her hand, and cleared his throat. "Ben," he blurted out.

"Ok Ben, poems, sounds good. Follow me down this way" she waved her arm as she said it.

Ben followed her down an aisle, and he couldn't help but watch her every move. C'mon Ben – concentrate - he thought to himself. You're not supposed to be thinking about other girls while shopping for your own girlfriend's Christmas gift. He hit himself to focus.

She stopped and turned, "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, sorry I tripped back there," he nervously answered. "Be an adult you idiot," he scolded himself under his breath.

"Ok, here we go," she said as she waved her hand over a section of the aisle. She started rattling off a half dozen poet's names that Ben had never heard of. "Most are in excellent condition, but we do have restorers on call if the book needs a new binding, or cleaning."

He didn't know what to say so he just winged it. "Oh, that's great. So you're into books?" It sounded so lame the second he heard himself say it.

She thought for a second. "Uh, well my parents own the store so I'm here to help them during the holiday season. I've grown up with rare books so yeah I guess so." Ben had nothing else to say and looked at the floor. "All right, well you enjoy browsing Ben, and if you need help just yell." She smiled and walked to another aisle.

"Idiot," he whispered as he smacked his forehead. Ben started flipping through books. Book after book he went through, but he simply wasn't sure what she would like – or hate. Ben wasn't much of a poem person anyway. He wasn't sure what was good, or bad, "I have no clue what I'm doing." He couldn't screw this up he thought, It had to be perfect.

Ms. Young pulled out of the store parking lot into traffic. While it was still dark and gloomy out there, the rain had stopped. Ms. Young accelerated down the road thinking about how close that was running into Dino Whitman's mother. Even more amazing was that Annie recognized Ms. Young. Monica didn't remember ever meeting her, but they must of. Ms. Young suddenly realized the light up ahead had gone yellow. She didn't think she could break in time, especially with the wet roadway. She went for it and raced through the light. She anxiously looked in all her mirrors for any sign of the police. "Nothing. Your dangerous Monica," she said looking at herself in her review mirror. While she waited at the next stop light she decided to call her mother to let her know she was on her way. As she dialed she suddenly heard the high pitch wine, and short chirps of a police siren. The cop hit the siren for a second or two to get her attention. She knew instantly she was busted. Ms. Young looked up slowly at her review mirror to see a police car with its lights flickering rapidly.

Over the police car's loud speaker a male voice commanded, "Driver in the yellow VW, pull over to the right."

"I got the message," she yelled as she waved her hand out the window. "How embarrassing." The light changed and she went through the intersection. She quickly pulled over to the right by a small strip mall. This would be her third ticket this year, and she couldn't believe it, the year was almost over. She would have to charm her way out of this. Ms. Young tugged on her baby blue jacket sleeve, and adjusted her scarf. She then looked in her review mirror to check herself, "Eyes, eyes, yes, hair, hair, good. Lip gloss," she immediately went through her purse and found it. After applying the gloss she looked in her side mirror to find out were the cop was. "Here he comes," she quietly said.

The police offer walked up in his blue uniform as his radio squawked. "Bravo two five, copy." The officer scanned the car's interior, and then focused on Ms. Young. "License and registration please." he asked in a monotone voice.

With her brightest smile on she said, "Hello officer. Did I do something wrong?" The charm offensive was on.

"You ran a red light back there," he stated.

"Oh no. You're kidding officer? I'm sure it was yellow," she happily declared.

"License and registration ma'am." The officer was watching traffic as he said it.

Ms. Young was pissed off about the dmn ma'am comment. That was the second time today she thought, I'm only 23 for Christ sake. She quickly went through her wallet and retrieved her driver's license. "Here," she said in annoyed voice as she handed it to him.

"Registration ma'am?"

She sighed, and reached for the glove compartment. She quickly found it, and handed it to the officer. "I still feel you are mistaken; it was yellow when I went through."

The officer shifted his stance. "Ma'am, normally I would let the camera on that particular signal send you your ticket in the mail. But your actions where so blatant I decided to pull you over and give you a warning." He stared at her for a moment. He continued, "Before you injure a pedestrian, or another motorist, and yourself. Do you know what the fine is for running a red light?" She actually did since she had received one seven months ago. Ms. Young was used to dealing out these stern lectures, but not receiving them. The charm offensive was an utter failure in only thirty seconds. The officer looked at her more closely, and then at her I.D. He adjusted his cap and asked, "Monica Young?"

"Yes."

"Barry, Barry Jensen," he smiled as he pointed to himself.

"Oh my God! Barry I didn't recognize you." Barry was her boyfriend's best friend in college. She always knew he had a crush on her, and for a time she had one on him.

"My God; I can't believe I didn't recognize you. I didn't know you lived in the city. You look great."

Ms. Young liked hearing that and smiled. "Thank you. You look good in your uniform there," she looked him up and down as she said it. "Weren't you a journalism major?"

"That's right. I was freelancing on an article about the city's police force, and I found the work fascinating. I joined the academy, and scored high. Next thing you know I'm a cop."

"You look happy," she stated.

"Yeah I am." He changed his smile to a serious expression. "I heard about you, and Danny breaking up…I'm sorry." He looked down at the roadway feeling sad."

She looked up at the sky, "Oh that's all right, he left me, and I've moved on. I'm doing good…really."

"So did you ever become an English teacher?"

"Oh my God you remember those stupid late night conversations," she laughed as she questioned him.

He didn't say anything for a few seconds he just continued to look into her eyes. "I remember all of my conversations with you. And none of them were stupid."

Whoa, Ms. Young thought to herself. He clearly still had feelings for her. He really did look good in that uniform too. Change the subject she thought, as she batted her eyes, "That's nice of you to say that Barry. I am a high school English teacher; at school right around here."

"Really? That sounds great. So you live around here?"

"You already looked at my I.D. Barry." She knew he was fishing for personal information, but she was flattered.

He handed it back to her along with the registration. "Oh yeah. Well you can't blame a guy for trying, right?" He ended his sentence with a large grin.

She laughed as she replaced her driver's license in her wallet. "Ah, I remember you delinquents in that fraternity, with all your stupid pick up lines." They both laughed remembering their college days.

"It seems so long ago doesn't it," he wondered out loud.

Ms. Young gazed at the traffic going by while she thought about his question. Still gazing, and in a defeated tone she answered, "Yes it does."

Sheepishly Barry said, "So you do live around here."

She smiled and looked at him. Then she suddenly displayed an irritated expression as she thought about her mother. "Yes I do. Unfortunately I live with my mother," she responded with an equally irritated voice. Before he could ask she continued, "I have some financial issues, and well I'm kind of stuck with the situation right now. I know it's sad." She gave a helpless look as she finished.

Concerned Barry asked, "So how's that going?"

In a sarcastic voice she replied, "Can I borrow your gun?"

Barry chuckled hard as he searched through his jacket, "That good huh?" Still laughing he pulled a business card out of his notebook, and began writing on it.

Again with a helpless look on her face, "Barry?"

"Yeah," he looked up from his notebook.

"Is there anyway you can take care of that red light problem?" She grimaced as she asked feeling a little guilty.

"Consider it done."

She made a large smile, "Oh thank, thank you. You are really saving my ss here; you don't know how much..."

"…one condition though," he declared. She quickly stopped her celebration, and had a blank expression. "Slow down, and back off the yellow lights."

"I will I promise, thank you again."

Barry leaned towards her and handed her his card. "Here's my card, with my home phone number on the back. Give me a call some time, and we'll have a beer. In fact I'm free tonight." He grinned knowing that wasn't going work.

"Ah, thank you for the offer, really, but I have plans tonight." Concerned she asked, "You're not celebrating Christmas Eve?"

"Na, not this year. I guess I'm solo this holiday."

"Oh, I'm sorry Barry."

"No, no, don't worry about it. I'll survive. You enjoy the holiday, and give me call soon." He waved to her as he walked back to his car. Ms. Young sat there for a second, smiling, as she thought how nice that was. Suddenly she remembered her mother and the airport. She frantically looked at her watch, "Dmn. I'm going to be late."

Ben had sifted through more than a dozen books, and nothing satisfied him. He really had no idea what he was doing, but he did know he couldn't screw it up. He sighed as he put a book back in its place.

"Everything all right?"

Ben looked up, "Oh, uh…"

"Rachel," she responded sensing he had forgotten her name.

"Yeah, Rachel." He sighed, "This just isn't working."

"Oh I'm sorry." She could see he was frustrated, and thought to herself for a second. "Does this gift have to be a book?"

"No, it doesn't."

"What kind budget are we looking at?"

Ben sighed again, "I have 75 bucks on me."

She started repositioning a book. "Can I ask who this gift is for?"

Timidly he answered, "It's for my girlfriend; she's into books, and wants to be an English teacher…some day."

"Ok let's go to the front. I think I have something. Once at the front desk, she immediately started searching through it. Ben looked out the window of the door to check the weather, and saw that it wasn't raining. "Here they are," she dragged out what Ben thought was a brief case. As she opened it Ben could see the case lined in red velvet he thought, and contained a row of knives. She sat down, and pulled one out of its slot. "These are silver plated letter openers, not expensive, but nice quality. They each have William Shakespeare's family crest, here on the end of the handle." She handed it to Ben, and he intensely inspected it. It looked beautiful, and it didn't seem like a kiddi-ish gift. This was a better idea than anything he had come up with.

"Rachel…if your boyfriend gave this to you would you think it was a proper Christmas gift?"

"Well I'm obviously biased since I'm trying to sell you on this. If you are into literature it's a cute little collectable, something you may find in an antique shop. Sure, I would enjoy it. I think the most important part is that it showed some thought went into the gift, and you took the time to think about her. That will probably mean more to her than the gift itself."

"Yeah, ok, this is good." Ben grimaced, "So how much are we talking here?"

"Don't worry; it's only going to cost you $43." She placed the opener in a box very similar to a jewelry box, and then a bag. Ben handed her the money, and he took the bag.

"Thank you so much Rachel. It was nice meeting you." He headed for the door.

"Merry Christmas Ben"

"Merry Christmas."


	4. ALCE Part 4

A Lost Christmas Eve Part 4

Ms. Young had finally finished putting her dinner together. Everything that could be done, was done. She wasn't sure she was going be able to pull it off. Getting her mother off to the airport took longer than she expected, and as usual they had their habitual arguments. Traffic was terrible on the way back as the weather had become pretty bad by then. She sighed and stretched her back out. She decided to sit down for a moment to collect her thoughts. She moved her hair out her face as she sat at the kitchen table staring out through the sliding glass door. She had put on choral Christmas music, and the haunting voices were very peaceful. As she relaxed she suddenly noticed that snow flakes began dropping on the ground. They were very small, but could be seen dropping everywhere, and she thought it was beautiful. She suddenly realized the time and immediately headed for the shower.

Ben was in his room anxiously waiting for his parents to leave for their flight. He went out to the family room to help with the luggage, maybe even speed up their departure. He saw his parent's suitcases sitting by the front door as his father was flipping through the television channels. Ben looked out at the backyard, and was shocked to see it completely white. "Oh shit," he whispered. Ben's mother walked into the room while on the phone trying to find out about their flight. Ben walked up to his father and asked, "How bad is it?"

His father turned his head towards him, "It's bad. The weather service, the airlines, everyone got caught by surprise."

Worried, Ben asked, "Well what about you're flight."

"I'll be very surprised if our flight is going anywhere tonight." Oh my God Ben thought to himself. His dad smiled and put his arm around him, "Hey that's ok; now the three of us can be together tonight, we'll go out. You know your mom, and I hated not being able to spend Christmas Eve with you." Ben didn't know what to feel. His father was happy that their flight was probably canceled, and that they would be together.

"Well all flights are delayed till the weather improves." Ben's mother explained as she hung up the phone.

His father smiled, "Yeah, I guess it's going to work out after all. You better call Dino."

Ben was in a daze and answered, "Yeah, I'll call, and tell Dino I won't be coming over for the night. As he slowly headed towards his room he couldn't believe how bad he felt. He actually felt physically sick. How was he going to tell Monica they won't be together tonight? He was well aware of Monica's problem with being alone during the holidays. It was almost like it was her greatest fear, and she was much more fragile than she let on. He totally failed her he thought. She only wanted one thing, and there was no way he could give it to her. He entered his room and sat on his bed desperately trying to find the words to tell her the bad news.

Ms. Young came at a quick pace into the dinning room fully decked out in a red dress and red heels. She checked on everything to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. She looked over the table that she had meticulously put together; table cloth, candles, her mother's good china, and silver. Perfect she thought. She went into the kitchen, and checked the food, perfect as well. She noticed something out of the corner of her eye. She walked over to the sliding glass door, and flipped the out door lights on. Everything was white, and she could see the now much larger snow flakes landing. She was amazed by how beautiful it all was, and how perfect the music she was playing went with it.

Ms. Young was startled when the phone suddenly rang. She turned and walked to the phone where she answered it. "Hello."

"Monica?"

"Ben," she responded in a gleeful voice. "Are you on your way?" He didn't answer. "Ben? Babe are you there?"

"Monica," he said in a sad tone, "Have you seen the snow?"

"Well of course; it's beautiful?"

"Yes it is." He took a few seconds before he spoke again. "It's also delayed my parent's flight till the weather changes."

"Oh my God, no." She turned around to look out the window again. "Is there any word on when the weather will change?"

"Channel 4 is saying tomorrow afternoon."

"Well is there anyway you can still come by. Maybe for just…"

"…I wish I could; you don't know how much I wish I could," he desperately tried to explain.

Gently, and sorrowfully she replied, "No…I think I do know."

"My parents are so excited that we'll be together I can't really…," Ben barely had the strength to continue breaking her heart. "Monica I'm so sorry. I feel like I'm failing you; I promise I'll make it up to you some day – I promise."

She began to quietly cry, and Ben could hear her sobbing. She grabbed a tissue and gently blotted her cheek. "Ben it's not your fault, it's not fair, but it's not your fault. You enjoy your time with your family. I'll…I'll be all right here."

Ben almost thought he was going cry. "I'm so sorry Monica. I'll come over tomorrow as soon as my parents leave. I promise."

She spoke softly, "That's fine Ben. I don't want you to blame yourself. Merry Christmas Ben," she proceeded to hang up the phone.

As the line disconnected, "Merry…goodbye." Ben hadn't felt this bad since he broke up with her a few months ago.

Ms. Young was still in shock, and she couldn't believe one of her worst fears was about to happen again. This would be the third Christmas Eve in row that she would be by herself, and many more in total. Why did this happen to her so often? Was there something wrong with her she wondered?

After she stopped crying she decided to eat some of the dinner she made. She set it up just like she had planned to do, but for one person now. She poured herself a glass of wine, and sat at the dinning room table. The festive Christmas music playing in the background just emphasized her being alone. She took a few sips of wine, a few bites of food, and it was good, but difficult to enjoy. Finally she tossed here fork on her plate in disgust, and upped the last of the wine in her glass. Her eyes began to water up as she continued to think about Ben, and tonight. "I must be cursed." She started to weep again.

After a few minutes she got up, and retrieved her purse from her bedroom. She pulled out her cell phone and the business card Barry had given her. Ms. Young looked over the card displaying his phone number, and contemplated what to do. Barry said he was alone tonight, and he definitely had feelings for her. She began dialing his number thinking that she just couldn't sit here staring at the empty dinner table any longer. When she came to the last number she stopped. She couldn't do this to Ben again. She immediately thought about what she had done with Ben's brother. Ms. Young had originally tried to justify her actions to Ben by reminding him he had ended their relationship. She was naturally attracted to his brother, and he seemed nice. But as they argued out their love for each other months ago, they both knew that it was a calculated revenge move to hurt him. It was still a very soar point between them, and Ben never discussed his brother. It wasn't Ben's fault he couldn't make it either; this wasn't his choice. The second she thought she would have to lie to Ben about it, she hung up. He had more than earned her loyalty she thought, and she was going to be just that.

She wanted to cry again, but instead she let out scream as she threw her cell phone across the room. After a few hours she started to clear the table, and was almost finished when the house phone rang. She decided not to pick it up figuring it was her mother calling to wish her Merry Christmas. That was the last thing she wanted. She continued cleaning up when the cell phone suddenly rang in the corner of the room. Ms. Young sighed, "Couldn't even break it." It wasn't her mother she suddenly thought because she didn't have her cell number. She immediately turned to search for the phone. She quickly grabbed it, "Hello."

"Monica?"

"Ben," she responded in a loving voice.

"Hi, how are you," he asked in a concerned voice.

"Better than I thought I would be. I finished dinner, and I'm cleaning up," she explained as she collapsed on the sofa.

"I'm sorry Monica."

"I know."

"My parents want me to go to midnight mass with them; I'm not even sure why we haven't attended in years."

"That sounds nice; you should go. I haven't attended in years either."

"They want to go to the church they were married at which is on Lamoureux St."

"Oh St. Catherine's I know that church. It's so close to my…oh my God...you're inviting me?"

"Do you think you could meet me there? I know the roads are pretty bad, we've got our SUV, but do you think can get there?" Ben sighed, "Maybe this is a dumb idea; I can't even promise that we'll be able to talk to each other."

It had taken Ms. Young a few moments to take it all in. "I'll be there; even if I have to walk. Oh my God I still can't believe this. No it's not a dumb idea. I haven't seen you in three days, if I can see you for just a few minutes it would be worth it."

"Really," Ben asked as he thought how good that felt to hear.

"Yes."

"I feel the same way." Ben looked at his watch, "It's eleven thirty now you don't have much time."

"Ok I'm leaving now, goodbye." She hung up, and quickly ran into her bedroom to change. She quickly changed into more suitable clothing, and exited the house.


	5. ALCE Part 5

A Lost Christmas Eve Part 5

Ben had just received communion from the priest, and was headed back to the pew where his parents were sitting. Mass was almost over, and Ms. Young was no where in sight. Ben looked with desperate eyes throughout the basilica as he walked back. It was a large church, and more than full, she could be anywhere he thought. He sat back down next to his parents who where simply joyful, thrilled that they were together. He felt happy for them, but he couldn't help, but feel miserable thinking Monica may not make it. He was getting worried as well. It was a bad idea to encourage her to go out in this kind of weather.

Ms. Young could see the entrance of church as she ran down the pathway made through the snow. It was still snowing, but barely. She knew she wasn't to late when she could hear the choir singing in side. She knew she probably wouldn't get to talk to him, but she didn't care, she was so excited just thinking about seeing him – she felt so alive.

The church kept the massive doors open so the public could enter, and exit at will. There were several ushers at the entrance to help people find seats if needed. Ms. Young had driven past this church on her way to her mother's house a thousand times. She had always admired it, but had never entered inside. It felt good as she entered the structure; the warmth, the lights, the music, and the people. So much energy she thought.

She approached the pew section looking for a seat, but there were virtually none left. She decided to get in the communion line moving forward on the right side of the center aisle. She could now move up through the entire basilica. She anxiously looked for Ben. "So many people," she whispered.

Ben was getting pretty worried now. He pulled out his cell, and was about to dial, but there was no signal. "Damn," he quietly said to himself.

Ben's mother leaned in towards him, "Do you have to make a phone call now?"

"No. You're right."

Ms. Young's worried look quickly changed to a big smile when she finally spotted Ben. It was difficult to see though as people were returning to their seats on that side. He might not even see her she worried. As the line moved forward she noticed he was dressed upped. He looked good she thought; really good, and definitely not like a 16 year old. She then saw his mother, and then his father as she was almost parallel to them now. Would they ever understand their relationship? Even if the two of them were still together when Ben turned 18, should they tell his parents? She wasn't going to worry about that right now.

Ben was talking to his mother when Ms. Young past by. It was only thirty seconds after she past when he recognized a familiar fragrance. "She's here," he whispered. He began looking behind him, and even stood up. "I've got to stretch my legs," he said to his mother. He kept looking all around, but there were so many people. "Maybe I'm wrong," he sighed.

Ms. Young searched through her purse as the line continued to move forward. She found her memo pad and scrambled to write out a message. She looked back every few seconds to see if he had spotted her yet, but it didn't look like he had. She received the host from the priest, and quickly made the sign of the cross as she headed back. She tried not to walk too quickly as she had to make him see her.

Ben was just about to sit down when he saw her walking towards him. He closed his eyes for a second expressing relief she was finally here. She looked so beautiful he thought; wearing a black full length coat, black boots, black gloves, and a white scarf. Their eyes met, and Ms. Young was so relieved he finally saw her. They just continued to stare at each other while they could. They both new a ten second gaze wasn't going to be enough. Ms. Young took her glove off and displayed the note prominently so he wouldn't miss it coming. He spotted it immediately, and they both quietly laughed to themselves as they reminisced about Ben passing her a note in the school hallway. That seemed so long ago to both of them now. As she approached him Ben cupped his hand, and Ms. Young gently placed the note in his palm. She continued down the aisle glowing the whole way.

Ben sat down, beaming. His mother turned to him, "What's up?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well…I don't think I've seen you this happy. I know it's Christmas, but…"

"I'm just glad we're together. And this was fun; I'm glad we did it." He gave her a hug.

"I'm not use to you being so emotional Ben. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas mom."

Ms. Young standing in back by the entrance, was wondering what to do now. I can't just leave she thought.

As the priest performing the sermon began wrapping it up, Ben leaned subtlety away from his mother to eye Ms. Young's note. He opened it, and it said: Merry Christmas, I love you, please call me. Ah, that felt good as he reflected on it. Call her, now he wondered, he would have to try at least. The sermon ended, and people began chatting, putting coats and hats on, as the church choir and organ began playing. Ben looked at his parents, "Uh…"

"…oh my God, "His father interrupted. "Look," his demeanor indicated to Ben it was something behind him.

Ben turned around he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. "What?"

Ben's father looked at his wife "Isn't that Tom Miller, and Connie with him."

Ben spun around, "Who?"

"Yes it is," Ben's mother replied. "Lets say hi; it's been three or four years." She moved towards them.

Ben's dad looked at him and in a guilty voice, "Do you think you can stand to wait around for fifteen minutes? These are friends we've lost touch with."

Ben almost didn't know what to say. "Oh, yes, not a problem at all. Take all the time you need!"

"Thanks Ben," his father began to walk towards his friends.

"Dad…thank you."

"For what," he asked a little confused.

He smiled, "This was fun."

His dad chuckled a little, "Your mother's right; you are getting emotional. What's going with you?"

"It must be the season, I guess."

"Fifteen minutes. Keep your cell on." His father walked off.

"No problem." Ben tore off down the crowded aisle. He hoped Ms. Young would be waiting, but he didn't see her anywhere. He ran out the entrance and immediately dialed her cell number. "15 minutes, 15 minutes." He heard her ringer around the corner, "Monica," he yelled.

She appeared from around the corner, "I'm here Ben."

He ran towards her and grabbed her arm dragging her around the corner and down the path a bit. She could barely keep up with his long strides, but he soon stopped. He then pushed her back against the wall as gently as he could while being quick about it. Ben looked left and right to see if anyone had followed them. Ms. Young had her head resting against the wall, and was quietly laughing. Ben relaxed now, noticed she was laughing, "What so funny?" He quietly laughed with her.

"You practically broke my arm back there," she continued laughing.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine; I lost my phone back there though."

"Please tell me your kidding Monica; I've got like less than fifteen minutes to spend with you," he explained excitedly.

"Screw the phone; I thought I broke it earlier tonight anyway." With a sinful look, and in a passionate voice she asked, "Less than fifteen? You better kiss me now then." She pulled him against her, and they gazed at each other for a moment. All their senses were on total over load. They squeezed each other trying to stay warm. Their rapid breathing bathed them in their heated breath while it mixed with the cold air. She put her hands around his neck, and pulled him to her. When their heated lips met they instantly forgot about the cold weather. They massaged each other's bodies, as they continued to massage each other's lips. The kiss was long, slow, and on fire. It suddenly began to lightly snow as the choir continued to sing Silent Night.

After some time they parted lips. Ben looked up at the sky, "Thank you Lord." Ms. Young laughed. Ben continued on, "My God, it's freezing out here, and I'm sweating." Ms. Young continued to caress Ben's neck with her lips as she slid her fingers through his hair. "Oh God Monica, you don't know how good this feels."

"I'm glad I have that effect on you."

"Me too," Ben grinned. "Monica that was the most intense kiss we've had together."

She was surprised he said that. "Yeah," she asked. Her happy expression turned to a serious one as she looked down. "I know why." Ben began gently removing a few snow flakes from her hair as she spoke. "It's because it meant so much to me to be with you tonight. I still can't believe it!

"Neither can I."

She laid her head on his chest, and he began stroking her cheek. "I'm not nearly as tough as I come off Ben. And I have these family issues, and holiday phobias…," she quickly looked up at him. "I wasn't too weird today, was I?"

He looked into her eyes for a moment as he brushed her hair out of her face, "You were perfect Monica."

"Thank you," she felt better.

"Can I ask you how you got here?"

She laughed as she buried her face into his chest. She looked up at him wide eye and answered, "I started walking and two blocks from mother's, a large truck stopped and offered me ride. I was so desperate I took it."

Ben confused now, "Well how are going to get home."

"I have no idea."

"Well this wasn't a good…"

Ms. Young Interrupted, "…please don't ruin the mood; that's my mother's job. I'm a big girl, and I'll figure it out."

He didn't say anything, but he would be worrying about her all night. "I'll be calling you all night; oh crap your phone," he suddenly remembered she dropped it up the pathway.

She caressed his cheek and tried to console his worries. "I'll be all right. We don't have much time left."

"Oh my God I almost forgot." Ben backed up, and frantically began searching through his coat.

"What is it?

"A gift. I found something I think you would like, well I hope you do."

Almost panicked she backed up. "Oh, no, you're kidding me? I have nothing for you."

"That's all right; believe me, you are more than enough of a gift to me."

"Ben I apologize. I can't believe I…"

Ben stopped searching and interrupted, "…Monica if you keep apologizing you're not getting the gift." She stopped, and laughed while putting her hand over her mouth.

Ben pulled the box out, and once she saw the box she was stunned. "No, no," she said as she walked up to him, and grabbed his hand. "That's way too much, way too fast Ben. I appreciate it, but I can't accept it."

Ben couldn't figure out why she suddenly refused to accept his gift. He looked at the box, and it suddenly dawned on him. She assumed it was some kind of jewelry because of the box. An expensive necklace or bracelet. He chuckled, "It's not what you think it is; I don't have that kind of money." Ben pointed to the box, "I hate to downgrade my on gift, but it's a nice affordable Christmas gift, and I thought you'd like it.

"Oh," she said with a blank look on her face.

"Your not disappointed now, are you?"

She waited a moment, and then she winced, "Yes, I mean no." They both laughed as they leaned in on each other. Ms. Young spoke softly, "No I'm not disappointed. If it's from you I'm sure I'll treasure it."

"Thank you," Ben started to hand the blue box to her.

"No. Thank you." She took him by surprise as they locked lips for more than an dozen seconds.

Once they split Ben exhaled, "Whoa."

She smiled and asked while rapidly breathing, "Yeah?"

"Oh yeah, you're good at this."

She giggled at that comment while she opened the box, and saw the shiny silver blade. "Oh, it's beautiful Ben." Ms. Young was impressed, as she inspected it. "I actually don't have a letter opener; this is wonderful. Wait a minute." She looked very carefully at the decoration at the end. Thank God she noticed it Ben thought to himself. "I know what this is; oh my God," she looked up at him surprised. "This is William Shakespeare's family crest - correct?" Ben nodded yes. "I can't believe I remembered that. This is perfect Ben; you couldn't have gotten me a better gift." She placed it back in its container, and put her hand around Ben's neck. "Time for you're reward."

Ben grinned at that statement. His cell suddenly rang, and they both froze. They were both suddenly jolted back to reality. It was like they forgot the fifteen minute deadline. Ben closed his eyes as he grabbed is phone. Slowly he said, "I've got to…"

She squeezed him tight "…it's ok. I'll be all right." Ms. Young promised herself she wouldn't cry. She didn't want to make Ben feel bad. She was actually happy though because more had happen tonight than on most Christmas Eve's for her.

"Ok, yeah…ok I'll see you there." He hung up.

Ms. Young looked up at him. "It's ok, we were lucky to get the fifteen minutes. I was lucky to get here at all."

"They gave me five more minutes."

"Oh my God." Her eyes went wide as she brought her hands to her mouth.

Ben squeezed her body closer to him, and looked around, "Maybe I should help you look for your phone; you're going to need it."

"Will you shut, and kiss me."

"Wait. I have to tell you something." He didn't say anything though.

Concerned she asked, "What? What is it Ben?"

He looked up, and exhaled. After a moment he looked at her, "I'm in love with you. I mean…" he looked into her lovely brown eyes as he placed his hands around her head. She knew it had been difficult for them to get back together, and this was serious for Ben to say. As he gently caressed her cheek, "I love you, and you are the most important thing in my life."

"I can't believe this is happening," she responded in a weak voice. "I love you too."

He lowered his head to meet her lips. The moment they touched they both forgot everything around them. The cold, the snow flakes dropping, the music, and especially their limited time. This kiss was the most important thing right at this moment, and they would worry about everything else later.


End file.
